The Dominica wind farm in Mexico is being built following the sustainable worksite model conceived by Enel Green Power and already used at the Mura and San Pellegrino hydropower plants in Italy.
Being built with the complete involvement of local communities, the Dominica wind farm in Mexico will generate more than 600 new jobs and save 337,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, equivalent to that produced by 80,000 cars. However sustainability at the facility is not limited just to the renewable energy technology at the 200 MW facility, which is being built construction in two separate stages.
The plant that is being built in the State of San Luis de Potosí has had a focus on sustainability since the laying of its foundations: in the construction of Dominica Enel Green Power is making use of a number of sustainable worksite solutions. These include two solar panels for electricity used at the site that cut the use of diesel-power generators and as a result, CO2 emissions. There will also be the separate collection of worksite waste, the separate treatment of recyclable materials and special temporary repositories, which will be made with isolating materials in order to avoid soil contamination from hazardous waste that has to be kept at the worksite before its final disposal at licensed sites.
Enel’s first sustainable worksites are in Italy, where EGP is implementing the Group’s innovative model at its San Pellegrino and Mura hydropower facilities. Extraordinary maintenance and efficiency increasing measures will help ensure the future safety of the two plants, which were built in the early 20th century.
Everything done on the worksite takes place with a focus on sustainability, from the selection of materials, the environmentally friendly management of the worksite once work begins and the plant’s operations. The sustainable worksite model also provides for the constant monitoring of activities, which has the aim of mapping environmental performance within the worksites, aiding improvements and helping to create a sound partnership with both contractors and suppliers.
The air, water, and land receive care and attention throughout all activities carried out at the worksite. These include not only the offsetting of CO2 emitted by machinery, but also the use of environmentally friendly paint and flooring, biodegradable machine oils, recyclable materials, systems for concrete washing and recycling, vegetable abrasives for sanding and low-carbon or short chain delivery products.